1. Technical Field
The present invention refers to a modular spacer device for the temporary replacement of articular prostheses that require to be removed for various reasons, for example due to an infection. Such modular spacer device allows, over the period of time required for treating the articulation, preserving the space required for the implantation of a new articular prosthesis and guaranteeing a good movement of the articulation.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of implantology of articular prostheses it is known that such devices can be subjected to removal due to various reasons, in particular, due to local infections of the articulation after the implantation of the prosthesis.
In such cases, the infected prosthesis cannot be immediately replaced with a new prosthesis, given that the seat of the articulation is required to be treated using suitable antibiotic medicines.
During the period of time required for the antibiotic treatment it is fundamental to preserve an articular space required for the implantation of a new articular prosthesis and prevent the tissues from shortening, the articulation from being subjected to atrophy and the muscles from losing tonicity.
Such technique is known as “two-stage implantation” of the articular prostheses.
There are known temporary articular spacers of the knee, manually formed by a surgeon directly during the surgical intervention of implanting the spacer.
Such devices are made of the bone cement and suitably shaped, manually, in the instants preceding the implantation in the articular seat.
A drawback of such treatment method lies in the fact that the cement is formed and shaped directly during the intervention, actually increasing the duration of the operation and the difficulties for the surgeon.
Furthermore, given that in the formation of the bone cement potentially toxic harmful substances are used, it is advisable to reduce the time of contact of the surgeon or operator therewith to the maximum.
Furthermore, the manual forming of the spacer may determine the presence of faults that may reduce the mobility offered by the articulation obtained using a similar spacer.
Pre-formed articulation spacers to be implanted without requiring any type of forming during the intervention are also available in the market. However, such devices reveal the drawback of being made up of a femoral part and a tibial part combined to each other a priori; in other words they cannot be easily adapted to the anthropomorphic dimensions, even variable, of the patient.
A consequence of the erroneous adaptability of the known spacers to the anthropomorphic dimensions of the patient lies in the impossibility of guaranteeing a good mobility of the articulation and, thus, ensuring a good quality of life to the patient awaiting the implantation of a new articular prosthesis.